Apparatus for preventing foaming



II I I I I I I I I I I I Inventor- Philipp M Kallusk.

. Dec. l0, 1946. P; M/KALLUSKY APPARATUS/FOR PREVENTING FOAMNG originalFilednec. 21, 1542 III llo QN s 4 wNl.. NW o v Pm. I .o -L`\\ .uur a 4 0o um mm .|.|Y... 4 .MN a D. mn l .DI I a .n\. f mm Patented Dec. 10,1946 PAE-ENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING FOAlVIING Philipp M.Kallusky, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner of one-half to Clarence E. Kallusky,Wadena,

v Minn.

Original application December 21, 1942, Serial No. 469,761. Divided andthis application October 21, 1943, Serial No. 507,212

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an apparatus for preventing foaming in anagitated body of fluid saponaceous mixture, specifically in connectionwith mechanism for cleaning bottles. My invention, herein defined andclaimed, is adapted to provide a simple and efficient set ofinstrumentalities for destroying or eliminating froth and foam whichtends to form in an agitated body of iiuid saponaceous mixture such asis formed in the operation of cleaning empty labeled bottles, such assoft drink bottles.

What is known as soft drinks in general consists of carbonated water inwhich is held in solution Syrups formed of sugar and different avoringingredients. Such a mixture forms a pleasing and stimulating drink soldat drug store soda fountains at all times and very largely con, sumedduring warm weather. Soft drinks ordinarily are put up in bottles. Eachof these bottles contains substantially a standard glassful ofcarbonated drink. They are hermetically sealed by means of caps andcarry on their sides a label which designates the name of the drink orflavoring and usually also carries the name of its manufacturer.Although such bottled drinks can be cooled in ordinary refrigerators,the usual method of cooling them is to put them in a body of watercooled by ice or by refrigerating apparatus where the bottles remainsubmerged until sold. The labels must be immersed in the cold water, andto prevent their being quickly washed oif through dissolving of theadhesives or glues, special types of such adhesives or glues have beendevised, which are either insoluble in water or soluble in such a degreethat the labels will not soak off in the time of immersion usuallyrequired before sale.

However, the labels will gradually become somewhat defaced or blurred bybeing soaked under water, and the bottles themselves must be thoroughlywashed and cleansed before they can be reused. It follows that apparatusused to wash the bottles not only must be such as to completely cleanand sterilize the inside and outside of the bottles, but also musteffect removal of the labels and the adhesive or glue by which they wereattached to the bottles. For this washing and removing a large tank isprovided in which is a fairly concentrated solution of caustic sodawhich is kept sufficiently heated. In practice, an endless chain carriesthe bottles through this caustic soda solution usually by a step by stepmotion which keeps the bottles in the solution for a sufficient lengthof time. The bottles are subsequently inverted and a powerful jet of thecaus- 2 tic soda solution is forced into the insides of the bottle for aconsiderable period of time, splashing back into the main body of thecaustic soda solution. Thereafter the bottles are rinsed in clear 5water and the thoroughly clean bottles `are taken from the machine andfilled with the carbonated soft drink solutions and are capped and areready for sale.

In the course of travelof the bottles through l the body of caustic sodasolution, which, as stated above will be over a considerable period oftime,` the glue by which the labels are fastened on the bottles will bedissolved away by the caustic solution. The labels then are removedordinarily l by simply falling off in the body of caustic solution orthereafter being washed off by the sprays.

The glue which is taken into the mass of caustic solution has some ofthe characteristics of fat and lye by which soap is made. The percentageof this adhesive or glue in the body of caustic soda solution increasesuntil finally there is formed a mixture of caustic soda and the organicmatter from the glue or adhesive which has the characteristics of amixture of soap and water. Agitation and particularly splashing of thissaponaceous mixture produces films which are tough enough to cause frothor foam from the splashing of the solution falling from the bottles andthe top of the tank because of the jets thereof being thrown upward tocleanse both the inside` and the outside of the bottles. This isordinarily referred to as foaming. It is, however, literally theequivalent of the formation of soapsuds. Periodically it becomes soextensive as to entirely iillv the Whole apparatus and even overflow.This causes considerable periods of idleness or d1suse of the'plant toget rid of the foam, a deleterious condition which has been experiencedin this industry for a long time with no practical means 40 known forconveniently and economically eliminating it.

As is Well known .in bottling plants where this washing apparatus isemployed, means is provided to produce large quantities of carbonatedwa-v Water from the carbonator used in the manufac' ture of the softdrinks, if made by means of a spray of more or less force distributedover the Whole body of the foaming surface of the mass of caustic sodasolution in the tank, will have the double effect of destroying the massof foam already formed and of preventing a recurrence of foaming vforseveral hours.

It is a particular object of my invention, therefore, to provideapparatus for use in connection with well known means of washing labeledbottles and removing the labels therefrom, useable in connection withthe standard carbonator employed in making the carbonated water of softdrinks, to convey said carbonated water in a desired amount and to sprayit with a suitable degree of force over the surface of a mass of causticsoda solution within the washing tank, thus destroying foam and checkingfoaming.

It is a further object of my invention toV provide apparatus forconveying the carbonated water from any standard carbonator and to causeit to be sprayed over the entire exposed surface of the body of causticsoda solution in the tank.

It is a further object of my invention to provide apparatus adapted -toconvey carbonated water taken directly Vfrom the carbonator employed inconnection with bottling soft drinks and to form a spray thereof and tocause said spray to impinge upon all parts of the foaming surface of thebody of caustic soda solution in the tank and upon any masses of foamvon said surface.

. It is a further object of my invention to Vprovide apparatus tocontrol the operation of spraying carbonated water into the caustic sodasolution in the tank so that it will take place for a definitely limitedtime, only long enough toveliminate foam and check foaming, andl toprovide in connection with such apparatus means such that the sprayingstep will be effected for such limited short times periodically atsufficiently spaced intervals so the spraying operation will be causedto take place only as frequently and for as short durations as isnecessary to eliminate foam .and check foaming.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 469,761,filed December 21, 1942. The full objects and advantages of myinventionwill appear in connection with the description of the apparatusfor carrying it into effect, hereinafter given in the appendedspecification, and the novel features of the invention by which theaforesaid advantageous and desirable results are obtained will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

'I'he single ligure of the drawing illustrates a longitudinalcross-sectional view of a bottle wash- Ving apparatus of standard.construction having associated therewith apparatus for carrying out myinvention, some parts of said apparatus being diagrammatically orschematically shown.

'Ihe customary bottle washingapparatus comprises a tank I Yhavingtherein a substantial body-of caustic soda solution which has its uppersurface |2 below the top of an elongated chamber I3 formed within thelower walls of the tank l0, end walls I4 and l5 together with side wallsand a top wall l5 enclosing an elevated chamber Il, A speciallyconstructed top wall I8 has therein an inlet opening I9 by means ofwhich lthe bottles are introduced into the apparatus and an unloadingplatform 20.

Within the chambers I3 and i1 is an endless chain 2l driven by vasprocket wheel 22 which has its shaft 23 connected with suitable power.4 means not shown. The chain 2| is guided by customary control means,not shown, so as to have a long horizontal =section 2li thereofextending into and along the body of water in 5 the tank I0 at a point asufficient distance above the bottom 25 of the tank to permit thebottles to be carried through the body of solution for a considerableperiod of time. .These bot -tles designated as 26 are introduced intohold.-

ing sockets in the chain through the opening i9 and are carried from aninverted position to an upright position in the mass of caustic sodasolution From the caustic soda solution the bottles 26 are elevated tothe upperv part of chamber Il where'they Vare carried inv invertedposition as indicated at 2'! over a horizontal pipe 23 having. thereon aseries of nozzles 29. The pipe 28 is connected with a pump indicateddiagrammatically at 3l! which draws the caustic vit out in forciblyejected jets from the several nozzles 29. These nozzles 29 are spacedapart exactly the distance between pairs of bottles as successivelypositioned and held stationary for a requisite period of time above .thenozzles 29. The jets from thesenozzles are thus caused t0 enter andscour and wash the insides of the Ybottles, A second chamber 3| isformed between partitions I5 and I8 with'an end wall 32 closing thechamber 3| considerably short of the total length of chamber I l. Anextension 33 of pipe 3A leading from the pump 30 carries ya body of thecaustic soda solution into chamber 3| from which it falls by gravitythrough openings 35 back over the bottles 27 joining with the returnflow of jets from nozzles 29 to splash back into the main body ofcaustic soda solution H., is this splashing back, with a considerabledegree of reflex and gravity force which. agitates `.the mass of causticsoda solution so, when it becomes saponaceous, as to produce the frothand foaming which my apparatus is designed to prevent. f

The endless chain 2| is turned backward as indicated at 50 and iscarried into a body of water in a tank 5| which has a sloping rear wallzles 29 away ifrom vthe water in ltank 5|. The

bottles are inverted in the water of tank 5| and 3l having an openingbelow wall |5 as indicated" The second top chamber 39 is provided, froma source not shown, with clean water as co indicated at 4U, which waterflows from 'nozzles 4| `upon the outsides of the bottles 2l' andalsointo the tank 5| and down the sloping front wall 53 thereof and insideof said bottles as they go down the sloping platform 31 -by which thevbottles are finally cleansed. .The excess water is drained off throughopenings 54 and 55 by, means o-f piping, not shown.

The above apparatus is a standard bottle wash-Y ing apparatus whichYusually is of va. width such as to carry a, single endlesschain 2l' and,therefore, a single row of bottles .through thema-.

chine. If, however, a washing machine of.` larger capacity is providedwith one or more endless soda solution from the -main body and sends 52adapted to drain the caustic supply from noz-V Y The endless chain 2| isalso turned backwardV creasing lthe number of spraying tubesand rows ofnozzles as herein shown.

Inbottling plants a carbonator isV customarily employed, AIt isillustrated diagramatically at 42. Its construction and operation arewell known and need not be described here. It isr sufficient to statethat at al1-times it forms suflicient quantities of carbonated waterwhich it delivers at quite high pressure to the bottling machine (notshown). There is, therefore, always available in any bottling plant asupply of carbonated water adapted to be delivered at high pressure. Thenature of carbonated water produced for use in bottling works is alsowell known to be a solution of carbonio acid gas in water wherein largevolumes of the gas are held in solution because of the pressure `withinthe-carbonator,

and such excess of gas is released when the pressure is reduced toatmospheric pressure. The term carbonated water is used in thisspecification with that well known meaning. Having discovered thatspraysof carbonated. water will check foaming and destroy foam and frothalready formed, I run a pipe 43 along the full length of tank lli spacedabove the surface l2 of the caustic soda solution therein. I provide aseries of spray nozzles 44 in said pipe directed downwardly toward thesurface l2 of the caustic soda solution. The pipe 43 is connected bypiping 45, 46, and 41 with the carbonator 42. An automatic valve 48closes connection between the pipe 43 and the carbonator 42, so thatwhenever the valve 48 is opened carbonated water will be forciblysprayed from the carbonator through nozzles 44 and upon the surface l2of the caustic soda solution within tank l0. Because of the force withwhich this carbonated water is sprayed out and the number and positionof the nozzles 44 this spray will cover the entire surface I2 of thecaustic soda solution within the tank ID and will be injected upon thatsurface and upon any froth or foam thereon with a considerable degree offorce. The valve 48 is of common construction and is operated by anysuitable motor indicated diagrammatically at 49, the mechanism of thevalve being such that the motor will cause it to open at suitably spacedrelatively long intervals of usually from one to one and a half, two, ortwo and a half hours, but to open for short periods of time, in practiceonly from one to two minutes.

It will be understood, of course, that it is the carbon dioxide orcarbonio acid gas which produces the elimination of foam and thechecking of foaming. The carbonated water is really only a carrier ofthis gas, the gas being placed in solution in the carbonated water underheavy pressure, is released when the pressure is reduced. It followsthat when the carbonated water is driven through the foam and into thebody of caustic soda solution in the tank it `carries the carbon dioxidegas into the foam and into the water, immediately releasing it tooperate upon the same in the raw state.

This short period of spraying with carbonated water I have found to besufficient to entirely reduce any froth or foam existing on the surfaceI2 4of the body of caustic soda solution Il and to so check foaming thatit Will not recur to any substantial degree for a period of from onehour to two and one half hours, according to the degree to which thecaustic soda solution has become saponaceous.

The great advantage of my invention, therefore, is that with a simpleand inexpensive ad- 6 ditionto apparatus andl means already existir'igin a standard bottling plant, the difficulty with froth andfoaming iscompletely removed.

Iclaim:

1. In combination with an open-topped tank adapted to hold a body offluid saponaceous mix- `ture with an exposed normally level surfaceofsubstantial area whereon a mass of froth and foam will form fromagitation of the mixture, a

carbonator wherein carbonio acid gas is .caused to be absorbed in waterunder high pressure to produce carbonated water having excess of suchgas over what can be held in solution at atmospheric pressure, saidcarbonator comprising pressure means for forcing out the carbonatedwater at high speed, means for conducting such carbonated water from thecarbonator to points over considerable areas of said surf-ace and massesof said froth and foam thereon, and means for controlling delivery ofsaid carbonated water effected by the pressure in the carbonator tocause it to be forcibly discharged into said froth and foam over theentire surface of said body of mixture.

2. In combination with an open-topped tank adapted to hold a body offluid saponaceous mixture with an exposed normally level surface ofsubstantial area whereon a mass of froth and foam will form fromagitation of the mixture, a carbonator wherein carbonio acid gas iscaused to be absorbed in water under high pressure to produce carbonatedwater having excess of such gas over what can be held in solution atatmospheric pressure, said carbonator comprising pressure means forforcing out the carbonated water at high speed, piping means connectedwith the carbonator and having a portion extending over considerableareas of said surface where masses of froth an-d foam form, and nozzlesin said portion formed and positioned so that carbonated water releasedthereto will be caused by the gas pressure in the carbonator to entersaid masses of foam and through said surface of said mixture, wherebycarbonic acid gas will be released therein and the foam thereby will becaused to be eliminated and foaming in the mixture to be checked.

3. In combination with an open-topped tank adapted to hold a, body ofuid saponaceous mixture with an exposed normallylevel surface ofsubstantial area whereon a mass of froth and foam will form fromagitation of the mixture over the entire surface, a carbonator, a pipeconnected with the carbonator and subject to the pressure of carbonioacid gas therein, said pipe extending above the surface upon which saidsaponaceous masses are held, a multiplicity of nozzles in said pipeturned downwardly. therefrom, a valve in said pipe for releasing thecarbonated water in the carbonator to be forced by the pressure thereinto go through said masses of foam and into the body of the mixture, andmeans automatically operated to open the valve for predetermined shortperiods spaced apart for predetermined long periods of time.

4. In combination with an open-topped tank adapted to hold a body offluid saponaceous mixture with an exposed normally level surface ofsubstantial area whereon a mass of froth and foam will form fromagitation of the mixture over the entire surface, a carbonator, fluidconveyor means connected 'with the carbonator and subject to thepressure of carbonio acid gas therein, said conveyor means beingextended above and in close proximity to substantially all parts of saidWater therefrom to permit it to move through said conveyor means underpressure, .a multiplicity of downwardly turned nipples on the conveyorImeans so positioned as to direct carbonio,

acid gas sprayed therefromo-ver all parts of said surface and ofi themasses of foam thereon', and means automatically to openpandcloseftnevalve, whereby the carbonated water will Joe --driven through vany foamon the surface of the solution and into the body of lthe solutionand theexcess` of carbonic acid gas *thereiny will -be freed in th Vfoam and inthe .body of the solution.

.PHILIPP M. KALLUSKY;

